


Facts and Rumors

by rhyfel



Series: For Want of a Nail [2]
Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bisexual Archie Andrews, Bisexual Betty Cooper, Bisexual Jughead Jones, Bisexual Veronica Lodge, Character Study, F/F, F/M, Gen, Implied/Referenced Torture, M/M, Misunderstandings, Multi, POV Outsider, Secret Relationship, Unreliable Narrator
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-08
Updated: 2018-12-27
Packaged: 2019-09-14 09:00:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,011
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16909992
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rhyfel/pseuds/rhyfel
Summary: What you say in public.(What you say in private.)(What you never know.)Riverdale sees the core four, but doesn't really understand them.One shots of Riverdale citizens being close and yet oh so wrong about a polyamorous relationship. Tags added as needed.





	1. Facts and Rumors

**Author's Note:**

> Jughead goes by "Penn" in public because he is a Serious Business Man and also a gang leader. His partners still call him Jughead cause they love him.
> 
> All chapters will have the perceived pairing(s) in the notes so you can decide if you want to skip it. But they are always poly no matter what the outsiders see.
> 
> Un-Beta'd.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Archie/Betty, Jughead/Veronica, Archie/Veronica, possible Betty/Veronica

The Lodge-Joneses and the Coopers were two of the most well-loved families in Riverdale.

(The Lodge-Joneses and the Coopers were two of the most talked about families in Riverdale.)

(The Lodge-Jones-Cooper-Andrews family loved each other very much.)

 

The undisputed and beloved queen of Riverdale, Mayor Veronica Lodge, fought for her town and lead it well and honestly. Mayor Veronica Lodge had been elected three times. The second and third times, no one even bothered running against her. She cut down corruption, cut down crime, and boosted Riverdale’s economy. The town fully expected her to continue as mayor until she retired.

(Veronica Lodge was a liar and a cheater. Veronica Lodge was sleeping with Archie Cooper or Elizabeth Cooper or both depending on who you asked. Veronica Lodge bribed, blackmailed, and bought her first election. The second was won after scaring off the competition before they could announce their candidacy. No one knows what happened to her would be opponent in the third election. Her husband, of course, knows none of this.)

(Veronica had a taste for expensive food and wine that Jughead loved to indulge. She had a sensitive spot behind her right ear that B would kiss every morning after brushing her hair. She had a fondness for performing that Archie enabled. Ronnie ruled the town with Jughead's minions, B's intel, and Archie's stable presence.)

 

Penn Jones, businessman and entrepreneur, was a Riverdale success story. Born and raised on the Southside, he worked hard to get out of the cycle of poverty and crime that could have easily marked his life. Penn Jones owns multiple restaurants and businesses. He employs most of the town and spends thousands of dollars each year giving back to the community. He had a delinquent childhood, but he overcame it and has started a youth outreach program to help guide at-risk teens towards gainful employment.

(Penn Jones was King of the Southside Serpents. What he and his wife didn’t control legally, he controlled with force, fear, and the fists of his Serpents. Penn Jones ran every successful business in town, regardless of legality. He outspends the competition, or he has one of his loyal employees pay the would-be competitor a visit. He may fund a youth outreach program, but his employees aren’t teaching anyone how to walk on the right side of the law. If his wife found out, she would be appalled.)

(Jughead loved the way V sounded when she was planning something. He loved the way Archie tasted after he’d had one of Pop's strawberry milkshakes. He loved the way Betty looked when she was passionate about a cause. Jughead had his hands in every criminal enterprise in a hundred-mile radius using V's respectability, Archie's fists, and Betty's contacts.)

 

Elizabeth Cooper, intrepid reporter and good girl, kept the mayor honest, people said, as if they would ever have a problem with corruption in Riverdale. Elizabeth Cooper is the friendliest person in Riverdale. She is always the first person with a plate of food and a shoulder to cry on in any tragedy. She singlehandedly runs the Riverdale Register, but always saves a page for special announcements that residents of Riverdale can submit for free.

(Elizabeth Cooper was invited to every party, event, and business announcement in a thirty-mile radius from Riverdale. And every Tuesday at noon she would eat lunch with the mayor. These two facts are not unrelated. Elizabeth Cooper is a nosy busybody. She wields the knowledge that she gains like a scalpel, a sword, an axe. Elizabeth Cooper knows everything there is to know in Riverdale, and she uses that knowledge to advance the mayor’s political agenda. She runs her husband’s life with an iron fist.)

(Betty needed Archie’s steady presence. She needed V's wild ideas. She needed Jughead's dark tendencies. Betty gathered information to her to soothe Archie's worries, give V an edge, and protect Jughead's territory.)

 

Archie Cooper was a genuinely good guy, and Riverdale’s claim to fame. Before he moved back home, but after he left under suspicious circumstances, he toured the United States and wrote a few successful songs. People in Riverdale are sure Archie Cooper could have been the most famous musician since the Beatles, but he is still the kindest and humblest person you’d ever hope to meet. He’s almost always seen with his wife, whom he clearly adores, or his best friend, Penn, both of whom guard him from fans like it’s their job. But if you’re lucky enough to run into him alone, he always smiles that shy smile and will sing you a little song.

(Archie Cooper was his wife’s favorite lapdog. She made him change his name in the marriage. It’s no wonder he was cheating on her with the mayor. Archie Cooper can usually be found in the back room of Penn Jones’s bar, the White Wyrm. It’s unclear what he’s trying to drown in the ever present glass of whisky, but he’ll only stir if his wife calls or Penn pulls him from the bar into the back room where he conducts his business.)

(Archie watched over Betty when she was researching a story. He protected Jughead from anyone who would hurt him. He defended Ronnie when newcomers spoke against her. Archie would die for his partners, they worked to make sure he didn't.)


	2. Tina Patel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tina just wants Mayor Lodge to be happy with her secret (married) girlfriend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Different style from the last chapter cause I'm a mess who can't figure out writing.
> 
> Betty/Veronica with Archie/Betty and Jughead/Veronica mentioned
> 
> Still unbeta'd.

Tina Patel left for lunch at precisely 12:15 every day.

 

Except Tuesdays.

 

On Tuesdays, Tina Patel “mysteriously” had “one last email to send” which made her leave for lunch later than usual. Tina Patel also cut her lunch short on Tuesdays, so she could get back early. In fact, if she thought she could get away with it, Tina Patel might not have even taken a lunch on Tuesdays.

 

But legally she had to. And she would never dare to defy Mayor Lodge when she would smile warmly and say, “Nonsense, Tina, go enjoy lunch. The emails will be here when you get back.”

 

This Tuesday it was already 12:45 and Tina was still seated at her desk, ostensibly making phone calls and schedules for the mayor of Riverdale but actually watching the door to the office like a hawk. When Betty Cooper, reporter for the Riverdale Register, walked in, Tina was ready to greet her immediately.

 

“Betty! It’s good to see you again. How is Archie?” Tina greeted her old cheer squad friend.

 

“It’s nice to see you too, Tina. Archie’s fine. Busy working on a new song, so I almost never get a chance to see him. Is Mayor Lodge ready for me?” Betty answered politely, already moving towards the closed door to the mayor’s office.

 

“I’ll let her know you’re here.” Tina said, quickly reaching towards her phone.

 

“No need,” Betty replied, opening the door without knocking, “I’m late, she’s probably waiting for me.” With a click the door closed behind the reporter, leaving Tina Patel locked on the other side.

 

Tina quickly put her computer to sleep and ran out the door, calling Ginger as she went.

 

“Hey Ging, sorry I’m late, but Betty just came in and you will never guess what she was wearing today. PLUS she basically told me that she and Archie are separating. We have SO much to discuss. I’ll see you soon.”

 

* * *

Ten minutes later Tina Patel and Ginger Lopez were sharing a couple of sandwiches on a park bench down the street from Ginger’s office.

 

“You don’t understand, Ginger! It’s like they aren’t even trying to hide it anymore. Today, Betty Cooper, all around nice girl and _married woman_ came into the mayor’s office wearing a _very_ tight and _very_ short skirt and a bright red blazer that I am _sure_ I have seen Mayor Lodge wearing. Honestly, like, poor Archie.” Tina exclaimed, needing this Tuesday gossip session more than usual.

 

“Maybe they’re just friends, Tina. Please don’t drag me into this pretend sordid love affair.” Ginger said with a smile, absolutely delighted by the gossip her girlfriend brought, but also completely aware of how besotted Betty and Archie had been ever since they first got together in freshman year.

 

“They are gals being pals in absolutely the same way we are, Ging, and you know it. Archie shouldn’t have left his girlfriend to go galivanting around the country as a famous musician. I woulda abandoned him for Mayor Lodge too. I’m just surprised that he hasn’t noticed.” Tina responded, not willing to let her own personal soap opera go for silly reasons like facts.

 

“Archie has never been the brightest. And he’s always been so in love with her. I mean, _he_ took _her_ last name.”

 

“Ginger! I am appalled by your heteronormative thinking! But, yeah, Archie always was the lovable idiot type. Betty clearly needed someone who could match her intelligence, like a certain dark-haired beauty whose name rhymes with ‘dodge’.” Tina said, wishing yet again that Riverdale was more accepting. Kevin Keller, the only other gay person she knew in town had left shortly after high school. Most of the older people in town thought she and Ginger were just best friends living together until they found husbands. If the universally beloved mayor Veronica Lodge and town darling Betty Cooper started publicly dating, a lot could change.

 

“Betty may need that,” Ginger replied, “But Veronica has Penn and he’s crazy smart.”

 

“Yeah, and emotionally unavailable. I think that he’s come to Mayor Lodge’s office once in the three years she’s been mayor, and not once have I ever seen them kiss.” As far as Tina was concerned, Penn Jones was a terrible husband and Veronica Lodge needed to get out of that relationship as soon as possible.

 

“He’s just trying to keep their professional lives separate,” Ginger protested, “It’s bad enough Riverdale’s mayor is married to the man who owns most of the businesses in Riverdale, they don’t want anyone thinking they use that to their advantage!”

 

“Mayor Lodge would _never_ abuse her station like that! If either of them did, it would definitely be Jones. He’s the worst. I still think the mayor should dump him like the trash he is and marry Betty. There is a power couple I could get behind.”

 

Ginger just rolled her eyes, knowing her girlfriend wouldn’t change her mind any time soon. While Tina worked as the mayor’s personal assistant, Ginger worked more closely with Pendleton Jones and knew that he cared about his wife as much as he cared about his employees. In fact, she remembered his passionate tirade about unions from the last holiday party and the equally passionate kiss he’d been giving his wife that she had accidentally walked in on fifteen minutes later.

 

“Please just tell me that you aren’t spreading these rumors around town, babe. There are two relationships that you could be ruining if anyone involved hears about it.” Ginger said, packing up her lunch and standing up.

 

“I promise you are the only one I tell,” Tina replied, standing up as well to kiss her girlfriend. “I’ll see you at home.”

 

“Love you.” Ginger said, smiling into the kiss.

 

“Love you too.” Tina responded, briefly forgetting about any relationship but her own.

 

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, Tina was again seated at her desk staring at a closed door. When it opened and Betty Cooper came out followed closely by Mayor Lodge, Tina stood quickly, ready to act.

 

“Thanks for the interview, V. I know the residents of Riverdale like knowing what’s going on in their government.” Betty said, shaking hands with Veronica in the open doorway.

 

“Of course, B.” Veronica responded, her smile blinding. “I’d never say no to an interview with you. Especially when I get such a delightful lunch companion out of it.”

 

Betty smiled warmly at Veronica one last time before walking past Tina’s desk.

 

“Bye Tina, see you next Tuesday!” Betty called.

 

“Bye Betty!” Tina responded, watching the blonde walk out, her red blazer thrown over one shoulder.

 

“Tina, please let the council know that I need fifteen minutes at the next meeting and have someone send over the financial statements as soon as possible.” Veronica said, already heading back to work.

 

“Of course, Mayor Lodge.” Tina replied, watching her return to her office. Tina sat down again, getting to work.

 

Ginger may not believe it, but Tina knew the reporter and the mayor were having an affair. After all, there was only one reason for Betty’s lipstick color to change over the course of a “working lunch” with Mayor Lodge.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There will be at least one more chapter featuring Sweet Pea in yet another style.


	3. Sweet Pea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sweet Pea would be much happier if he could pretend he didn't know what what happening between his boss and Archie Cooper.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Very brief mentions of bad things happening to eyes.
> 
> Archie/Jughead with Archie/Veronica, Jughead/Veronica, and Archie/Betty mentioned.
> 
> Still un beta'd

Sweet Pea knew approximately three things for sure about Forsythe Pendleton Jones III. The first, obviously, was his name, which Sweet Pea only knew because they had gone to high school together. The second was that he was the King of the Southside Serpents. And the third was that he was married to Riverdale’s mayor, Veronica Lodge.

 

Sweet Pea knew even less about Archie Cooper. Number one: Archie Cooper was married to Betty Cooper. Number two: Archie Cooper was a bona fide Rockstar. And a possible number three? Archie Cooper was sleeping with Riverdale’s mayor, Veronica Lodge.

 

Now, if Sweet Pea is being honest, he can’t be sure that Archie is sleeping with Penn’s wife. For one thing, Penn does not seem like the kind of person who would be okay with another man sleeping with his wife behind his back. For another, he has met Betty Cooper and she does not seem like the kind of person who would be okay with her husband sleeping with another woman behind _her_ back. And neither Penn _nor_ Betty seem like the kind of people who wouldn’t notice if their spouse was sleeping around.

 

Despite this, the rumors are there. In fact, there isn’t a Serpent alive in Riverdale or outside of it who hasn’t heard that Veronica and Archie are sleeping together. It’s basically in the initiation packet.

 

To be a Serpent you’ve got to:

 

  * Watch Penn’s dog for a few days.



 

  * Wrestle a snake.



 

  * Recite the Serpent’s Code.



 

  * Know that Penn’s wife is cheating on him with Archie Cooper and you absolutely cannot tell him because he will definitely kill you or he will have Archie kill you and nothing will change except you will be dead.



 

  * Get repeatedly punched in the face to reinforce the messages in the previous steps.



 

It’s a very simple initiation. And quite frankly, it says something about Forsythe Pendleton Jones III that every single member of his rather large and criminally minded gang knows that his wife is cheating on him with a man that would kill for him and they still follow him. Sweet Pea isn’t sure _what_ exactly it says, but it certainly says it loud.

 

So Sweet Pea knows the rumors and hears the speculation anytime more than two Serpents are in a room with alcohol and without Penn and Archie. But he doesn’t  _really_ believe it. Because he may only know three things _for sure_ about Forsythe Pendleton Jones III, but he sees a lot more than that.

 

Like, he sees how Archie follows Penn _everywhere_. Penn cannot be alone somewhere for more than three hours before Archie appears. It’s practically pathological. Sweet Pea would be concerned about it, but Archie has never hurt _Penn_ even if he has hurt many people _for_ Penn and Penn seems more relaxed when Archie is around. Less likely to pull out a switchblade and carve out someone’s eye, to pull a completely random example out of thin air. In fact, ever since Archie Cooper has returned to town, Penn has been, for lack of a better word, calmer. Or maybe focused is more accurate. Like his attention is no longer divided.

 

But that isn’t all. After all, Penn likes knowing where his people are and Archie could be no different from Fangs or Toni or Sweet Pea himself.

 

Except Sweet Pea knows that Archie is different because Sweet Pea has never looked at Penn the way Archie does. If he had Toni would have said something. Often and gleefully, with pictures taken for evidence. And Penn looks at Archie with something that might be fondness, if such a word could ever be used to describe someone who had carved a person’s eye out. Again, to choose a totally random example that in no way completely traumatized Sweet Pea.

 

And  _even if_ Penn did look fondly at Sweet Pea, and Sweet Pea did look at Penn like he was the only thing that mattered, Penn has definitely never dragged Sweet Pea in the back room to, at the very least, passionately make out.

 

And this was the real reason Sweet Pea suspected the rumors about Archie Cooper and Veronica Lodge were just rumors. Or at the very least, they were incomplete rumors. Because Penn Jones was definitely doing _something_ in the back room with Archie Cooper most days for no less than fifteen minutes that left both of them flushed and breathless. And Veronica Lodge didn’t factor into it _at all_.

 

On the other hand, that opened up a whole mess of cans of worms that Sweet Pea did not want to think about. For instance, if Penn and Archie were definitely sleeping together and Archie and Veronica were probably definitely sleeping together and Archie and Betty were definitely sleeping together and Veronica and Penn were definitely sleeping together and Penn and Betty definitely knew their spouses were sleeping together… What else might be happening between the four of them?

 

So, no, those were not thoughts Sweet Pea wanted to be having about his boss, Riverdale’s resident celebrity and his boss’s pet killer, the best mayor the town had ever had, and the only reporter to consistently get every detail of a crime correct in excruciating detail.

 

Instead, Sweet Pea shoved those thoughts deep down, pretended that Penn and Archie were working out together in the back room, and thought of pleasant things, like the sound Fangs made when he was happy, or how much the Southside had improved since Penn became King. He kept his mind away from the love quadrangle that had the potential to burn Riverdale to the ground, because maybe if he didn’t think about it, everything would be fine. Maybe they would work it out amongst themselves.

 

Maybe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some of you may have seen that this is now part of a series. I was writing a Kevin and Josie chapter and realized that it was full of vague and unfulfilling spoilers for the multi-chapter story that I never planned to write but would explain what exactly happened to the core four to make them take this road.
> 
> So, I guess I'm gonna write it. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯


	4. Josie and Kevin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kevin would like to get married without any relationship drama and Josie has to deal with the fact that she may be a Grammy winning musician but he's still family so she's got support him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Betty/Jughead and Archie/Veronica
> 
> un-beta'd
> 
> I may change some things about this one, since it is my least favorite.

It was almost 3 in the morning when Josie’s phone rang. She briefly considered letting it go to voicemail, she’d just gotten back from a concert and really did _not_ want to deal with whoever might be on the other line, but when she saw “Kevin Keller” light up her screen she answered immediately, heart in her throat.

 

“Kevin? Is everyone okay?”

 

“Are Betty and Archie still dating?” Kevin’s voice came over the line, almost more frantic than Josie’s own.

 

“What?” Josie said. She paused, her mind still trying to remember the last thing she’d said to her mom and wondering whether that would be the last thing she would ever be able to say to her mom. “What?”

 

“Betty and Archie. I’m working on invites and I need to know whether I send one for both of them or send one to each of them and if I’m sending one to each of them do I give them the option to bring a plus one or is that going to potentially lead to a scene at my wedding. I do not need Betty crying in the bathroom or Archie moping broodily in the corner.”

 

Josie felt her heart rate return to normal, though the jolt of adrenaline left her feeling more awake than she had before he called. “I don’t know Kevin, why don’t you ask them?”

 

“Betty and I don’t really talk about Archie and Archie and I _definitely_ don’t talk about Betty. It’s one of the tenants of our friendship. You saw Archie a few weeks ago, did he say anything to you?” Kevin’s voice had taken on the slightly manic quality Josie had come to associate with wedding planning.

 

“Why would he say anything to me? I wasn’t close with either of them during high school and we _don’t_ talk about Riverdale. I mean, I left, you left, our parents left. What would we have to talk about?” Josie replied, idly wondering how long Kevin would draw this out while pulling chamomile down from the cabinet.

 

“Well, okay, but was he flirting with you?” Kevin urged while Josie filled the electric kettle with water and turned it on.

 

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen Archie flirt with anyone who wasn’t named Betty Cooper.” Josie said. 

 

“Wait, did you meet another Betty Cooper on tour with Archie and he flirted with her?” Kevin responded, the smirk clear in his tone. Sometimes, when she least expected it, she felt like she and Kevin had been siblings for much longer than reality. They had inside jokes, could communicate exasperation with a look, teamed up when their parents were being unreasonable. High school Josie would have never believed that years later she would be sitting on her kitchen counter at three in the morning listening to Kevin Keller freak out about his wedding and waiting for her tea.

 

“Dumbass.” Josie snarked back. “But you know what I mean. Archie and Betty were that perfect high school couple and I _still_ can’t believe he left Riverdale. I thought they’d get married immediately and Archie would stay home with 2.5 kids while Betty did whatever she put her Type-A mind too.”

 

“I know what you mean. There is no way they aren’t still together, but I’ll send an invite to Betty and another to Archie just in case.” Kevin paused and Josie leaned back, enjoying the easy silence that stretched between them.

 

“Thanks, Josie.” Kevin finally said, breaking the silence.

 

“Of course. And to show your appreciation you can invite Matt’s cute ex-roommate so that I have someone to dance with at your wedding.”

 

“Who said I’m inviting you?” Kevin said, laughing and hanging up the phone.

 

Josie looked at her phone in shock as a text came in from Kevin. Pulling it up she saw he sent winky face and a string of hearts. Shaking her head fondly and laughing, Josie finished her tea and started getting ready for bed.

 

* * *

 

Six months later, Josie was listening to Kevin freak out about Betty and Archie.

 

Again.

 

“I can’t believe that they’re both here and they _both_ brought dates! I swear if they ruin my wedding I am going to murder them. As my fiancé and my sister, you are both legally obligated to help me.” Luckily, this time she had back-up in the form of Matt, Kevin’s aforementioned fiancé.

 

“Kev, honey, I’m sure it isn’t going to be a problem. Betty’s a sweetheart and from what you’ve said about Archie, I doubt he’s going to cause a scene and ruin our wedding.” Matt said exasperatedly, clearly having heard the same complaints at least as often as Josie.

 

“Josie, tell him, he doesn’t believe me about Veronica and Jughead. I saw the great Andrews/Jones falling out of 2015. _I. Lived. It._ ” Kevin hissed while gesturing wildly to Josie.

 

“No, keep me out of this. People grow apart. It wasn’t that dramatic,” Josie told Matt, possibly underplaying the Andrews/Jones falling out of 2015. She definitely remembered it being dramatic, and she wasn’t even really friends with either of them. But then again, middle schoolers are dramatic, so she could be misremembering.

 

“Archie  _punched Jughead in the face._ ” Kevin said, stressing the point. “ _With his fists._ ”

 

Matt rolled his eyes and said, “Yes, that is generally how people punch,” as Josie muttered “Archie didn’t punch Jones.”

 

“Jughead  _transferred schools_ to get away from Archie,” Kevin was practically shouting now, trying to get his point across over the comments of his companions. “They’d been friends since diapers. This was very much _that dramatic._ ”

 

“That’s not what happened, Kevin,” Josie cut in. “Sometimes people just transfer schools. And Jones lived on the Southside, he was probably going to go to their high school anyway. Honestly, I wouldn’t worry about it. Archie Andrews would never do anything to hurt Betty Cooper, even if they have broken up. Maybe he and Jones are trying to be friends again.”

 

“Okay, sure, maybe they’ve repaired their friendship, I could believe it,” Kevin said in the voice of someone who very much didn’t believe it, “But that doesn’t explain Veronica Lodge.”

 

“Hey, Veronica is cool.” Josie said, remembering the many parties thrown by the popular girl.

 

“Sure, she’s very cool. And she and Betty are best friends. And now she’s apparently coming to my wedding with Betty’s ex-boyfriend. I’m pretty sure that even if Betty and Archie were to remain friends after breaking up, and even if Archie and Jughead weren’t going to get into a fight because they’d somehow repaired their friendship, there is no way Betty and Veronica come out of my wedding without someone in tears. Probably me.”

 

The three fell silent, looking at each other and wondering what horrors the next day would bring.

 

“Well, there isn’t anything we can do about it now,” Matt said, grabbing Kevin’s hand and pulling him towards the door. “Now come on. I’ve got one more night of freedom before I get married and I want to spend it with the hottest guy I know.”

 

“Is that so?” Kevin purred back. “Whatever would your fiancé say?”

 

Josie watched them go, the love on their faces obvious to anyone who saw them and wondered how she could capture expression in a song. All her music had been about broken hearts lately, maybe a wedding would be just the thing to get her in the mood to write about love.

 

* * *

 

 The next day at a quarter to noon Josie was not thinking about love at all. She’d been up since 6 getting her hair and make-up ready for Kevin’s wedding. Since then she had gotten stuck listening to her mom complain about Tom’s ex-wife through their entire morning routine, talked Kevin out of one “I’m a child of divorce, marriage is a sham, what am I doing with my life?” induced panic attack, and had to field so many “When are you settling down?” questions from well-meaning but deluded family members that she was tempted to make an announcement at the beginning of the wedding just to stop people from asking.

 

So seeing Archie walking up to the wedding hall with Veronica on his arm was actually a relief. The thing about Archie was you could always tell if he loved someone. His eyes went soft, his shoulders relaxed, and his mouth quirked ever so slightly at the corners. Everyone who went to Riverdale High between the years of 2015 and 2019 could pick the look out of a crowd from so much time watching Betty and Archie together.

 

He had the same look now with Veronica.

 

“Hey, Archie, Veronica. It’s good to see you,” Josie said, reaching out to give Archie a quick hug. They may not have been close in high school, but they’d seen each other at various shows enough after that they’d gotten a chance to get to know each other better.

 

“You too, Josie. Love your new album,” Veronica replied, watching the hug with a cool politeness that hid her true feelings better than most masks. “And congratulations on the Grammys.”

 

“Thanks, Ronnie. The Pussycats are very proud.” Josie replied as she watched Archie step back and hook his arm around Veronica’s shoulders, her arm snaking quickly around his waist. Josie suddenly got the feeling that maybe Kevin was right to be concerned. Archie’s obvious love and the slightly possessive way Veronica interacted with him definitely could definitely spark trouble. But instead of saying anything about it she just said, “Enjoy the ceremony and I’ll see you at the reception.”

 

The two responded with equally bland pleasantries and she watched them walk off, looking more like a united front than some of the married couples that Josie had seen come in so far.

 

* * *

 

 

Ten minutes later, Kevin was giving Josie a recap of his own meeting with Betty Cooper and Jughead Jones.

 

“And apparently he goes by ‘Penn’ now which is obviously better in every way than _Jughead_ but God if it isn’t pretentious. Although I do remember him being pretentious when we were in middle school. Anyway, they didn’t say they were together but they’re obviously together so _please_ make sure that the four of them don’t do anything overly dramatic. Not that I really think they will, but I want this to be the last conversation that I have to have about them at my wedding and that will _not_ be the case if there is a fist fight or tears.”

 

“Of course, Kevin.” Josie replied, head reeling from the verbal onslaught. “Now go get married and forget about the drama that you should have left in Riverdale.”

 

Then the music started and Kevin smiled, the calm coming over him almost visible in the way it changed everything about him, from his tense shoulders to his clenched fists. Josie smiled and watched her brother and his best friend get married, all other thoughts fleeing her head.

 

* * *

 

Of course sometime during the reception, when Archie and Veronica found their way over to Betty and Penn’s table, Josie was watching carefully, prepared to step in if it looked like any of them were going to ruin Kevin’s day.

 

Archie had an arm thrown over Veronica’s chair and was laughing at something Penn just said. Penn had his head ducked, a pleased smirk on his face, eyeing Archie across the table. Betty and Veronica were looking at each other fondly, silent communication playing out between them. When Betty leaned into Penn’s space, tugging him towards her for a kiss and Veronica did the same to Archie, Josie decided they would be fine.

 

But standing there watching them, Josie had the weirdest feeling, just for a second. Not quite déjà vu, not quite a premonition. Maybe a feeling of almost.

 

Of what could have been had things been different.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me, thinking about this chapter: And Kevin's fiancé's name is Matt and he's a med student and they live in Seattle because Kevin refused to be the stereotype that moves to San Francisco or New York
> 
> Me, writing this chapter: I think all of that is implied.


End file.
